Second, GLEE was epic. And this is where I'm going to go off on a rant about fandom entitlement, and how it's bled into the media, etc.

Everyone remembers this is actually a person's LJ and not a comm, right? Okay. Just putting that as a header.

Note: I cannot stand half-full types. Negative Nancys? Debbie Downers? Don't like you. You might want to turn back now, my phasers are set to ENRAGED.

[I'm just going to jump right into it.] So Dave Karofsky attempted suicide last night on the show. Why? Because he has hated himself since he knew he wasn't "right" and when everyone else found out and told him yep, he's awful and wrong, and they spray painted the F word on his locker and poured hate onto his FB page and his mother told him he has a "disease," he dressed himself in his church suit and put a belt around his neck in the closet.

All of this was set to Darren Criss singing mournfully (and so, so beautifully) about acceptance and it remains one of the more powerful montages I've seen on TV. Yes, it's a show called "Glee." We get the word has dual meanings, right? Sorry, I saw a lot of "Ha, IDK why they call the show Glee," last night. Where were you during Season 2, the year of Kurt's Cries? When they dealt with very real situations? And let's not forget (even though everyone does) Jean.

JEAN. One of the most moving stories on the show was her funeral and I don't remember these same people bitching about the show being "manipulative" by casting people with actual Downs, etc. Nope, I don't want to go down that road.

I want to point out that this silly show (at times) has also has done more for gay/questioning kids out there than anything else. My son's best friend took his boyfriend to Homecoming this year, and why? Because he thought it would be okay because Kurt and Blaine did. (Excuse me while I cry.) I live in the reddest county in Texas, folks. We had watching parties with teens here. HERE. Boys and girls. Klaine is the Ross/Rachel of a new generation. HERE. That's huge.

We've also had several kids in our community kill themselves because of bullying. One because he was outed, but the others? Well, they were just...desperately sad with no end in sight. I made a very painful and very public post recently. As in one month ago recently. My son set out to do exactly what Dave Karofsky did. Exactly. For whatever reason you decide to call it, he stopped himself at the last minute. I don't think I have to tell you (general you) how grateful I am every single day that he did stop himself.

So when I hear/read comments like that storyline was "manipulative for ratings *eyeroll*" I want to get very very angry. Because once again: this show, silly though some of us may think it is, does real good for people. For kids struggling. And seeing the fallout (and the emotionally gut wrenching lead-up) from his actions just might save a life. I mean that without any hyperbole. If you want to make fun of me, or call me dramatic, that's your right. You ever tell me that? I will rain my anger down upon you.

I am sick and tired of people who LIVE to bitch and complain and hate things, who dedicate huge portions of their life to something they purportedly cannot stand. Live in fandom, then, where you can have control and quit bitching about CANON. No one will say boo. Shit, people did that in Buffy and had a lovely time participating in fandom with their cut out dolls.

I am sick and tired of people ruining MY fandom experience because they can't stop bitching. Or spreading spoilers and rumors and speculations that either don't pan out, or diminish the viewing experience for me and others, just so they can keep up the steady stream of complaints. What a waste of energy. Yes, they have the right to experience fandom exactly as they wish. This is me with a rebuttal.

I am sick of how entitled this fandom is, that if their ideas aren't given to them every week, the show is awful, damaging, stupid, etc. It's a goddamn show about a fucking show choir, are you serious? Why, I would love a Klaine spin-off! Burt in Washington? Sign me up! But that's not the bill of goods I was sold in the beginning, and neither were you. What a waste of your energy to do nothing but put down something. JUST CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

I had to unfollow a god damn JOURNALIST this morning when I realized how much Kool-Aid she'd drunk. She writes her recaps to please shippers and fandom, she said as much in her recap today. And because she got tons of people saying "she'd better" blah blah, she wrote her review and recap BASED ON FANDOM'S THREATS.

You fucking entitled children. (General you who threatened her.) Do you realize you're getting the experience based on what you're putting into it?? Anger and disappointment, reading and mocking with others who are angry, making you angrier, and then you wonder why you're never satisfied? Are you daft?

I clearly love the show. I have the utmost respect and admiration for some of the actors on the show and their stories (I wonder who...) but can deal with the bi-polar nature of the goofiness, too. That's what the show is.

But when they tackle something seriously, they do it with their hearts on their sleeves. It's not manipulative to show the very real possibility that a kid like Dave would take the quick way out. It's not out of character for one of the kindest kids on the show (as I put it on HDJM: "the goodness and kind soul that is Kurt Hummel. (When not confronted with fashion horrors or vocal atrocities, of course. He’s only human.) It makes sense that the kid who forgave his tormentor would come to the hospital after his suicide attempt.")

Shipping wars? Your favorite character not getting enough screen time? This is not the show for you, I'm thinking. I understand that everyone has the right to experience things in the way they wish. I just want nothing to do with that negative bullshit.

Christ, life is bad enough as it is, fucking enjoy something. This story line has affected me in a deep and profound way, and quite frankly, I just don't want to interact with people who want to be blase or just shitty because it's cool to hate things. I'm not interested.

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I...yeah. I know I'm bitching about it, but like. Yeah, it's really difficult to explain myself. Like, I read spoilers and stuff, but I didn't know how *graphic* last night was going to be. My sister tried to kill herself, a few years ago. Stockpiled the paracetamol and took 'em all. Mum and Dad found her, the night before her birthday. She had her stomach pumped, the lot. Only years later did I discover how *miserable* and horrible her life had been, and I'd not even fucking noticed because I'd been so wrapped up in my own stupid problems. The same year, I go through a horrible trauma and I descend into a horrible sliding slope of self-injury, drinking and depression, leading to social anxiety and damn-near flunking university.

(Wow, sorry for that life story)

So last night's episode...although I vaguely knew it was coming, triggered me quite a bit because of how *graphic* it was it the depiction of Karofsky's storyline. And that's what I had a problem with, because there wasn't so much as a "heads up, guys, this is pretty triggering!" because not everyone is as involved in the fandom, and the regular viewer wouldn't have had any fucking idea it was coming, so imagine how they felt when they see that?

If I put on my "entitled Klainer/entitled Blainestan" hat, and bitch about 'character development!' and 'you're neglecting their relationship!', then I look like...well, an entitled Klainer who just wants to see the happy on the television. BUT I take comfort in knowing that we basically had half of series 2 dedicated to the development of the Kurt and Blaine relationship, and I think a lot of fans forget just *how* Klaine-centric the show used to be.

If I take a step back, and think about what this show is *trying* to do, then I look a bit differently. They're brave for trying to explore these stories, because they're everyone's stories, the kids (and adults!) who watch this show...we've been through it and some of us live to tell the tale. They've really got balls for doing it.

(Incidentally, I still think that it needed to come with a bit of a warning).

(Also, did you know that "The First Time" had a higher rating on tv over there (TV-14, is it?), which dealt with sexual scenes *that in the end weren't even that sexual at all*, than "On My Way" which had pretty graphic scenes of suicide attempts, family discovery and a freaking *car crash*? Just as a reference.)

Sigh. Essentially, I will still be watching this show because, after it all, I still love it. I still dance around and participate in this fandom like it's a fucking *job*. And maybe the people I follow on Tumblr are the more discerning fans. Because as much as they're "omg this show sucks", there's still a whole load of meta and discussion and reasoning.

SIGH THIS COMMENT IS LONG I'M SORRY. I hope you know what I'm trying to say. BECAUSE I DON'T.

I NEVER MIND LONG COMMENTS, so you know. I just really went off on a tear. (BTW, none of this is directed at you? Gurl, if I gets mad, I tells a person. *G*)

Now. Imagine I am hugging you for the horrible experience you went through with your sister. I'm so sorry for all of you. <3

Part of me while watching last night wished I'd been prepared. But you know...I think it's how we go through life. We're not always going to be prepared. At least this is a safe environment of knowing it's acting, that Max is fine. Chris is fine.

And I would LOVE loads of Klaine moments. Love. But there are other characters that haven't been featured hardly at ALL (Tina) and... it's an ensemble show.

I'm glad you love the show. I need people that do! Not liking aspects, wishing, that's one thing. I see a lot of "this FUCKING BLAH BLAH" like ONTD_Glee. They LIVE to hate on it. Which, whatever, that's their right.

I'm just tired of being happy each week (because I don't know what's been cut) and not having anywhere to turn to talk about things in a serious (and non-hating) way. Well, except for my handful of bros. I feel like an outsider to fandom for not hating what the fandom is based on, and that's a...weird feeling.

This show frequently fumbles the ball, but I will never not love it when it tries to do serious, real, important things, no matter the flaws in them. And I know they help people.

The negativity in this fandom is as astounding as the entitlement is. It's one thing to have thoughtful criticism, which is great; it's another to tear every single thing down before it even happens. And as much as I'd like Kurt/Blaine/Hudmels/Berrys on my screen every minute of the show, that's not Glee. So I'm not disappointed when it doesn't happen. That's why I have fic. In fact, since I love writing the boys, I'm glad they leave me gaps so that I have reasons to spend time with them.

Thank YOU for being in my fandom! I cling to you, tenaciously, but you know this.

See, maybe that's why I'm okay with their mistakes, I'm a football fan. :) Fumbles happen. It's a rare thing to find a show that knocks it out of the park week after week. I can think of maybe...three. Ever. That's a lot to ask of a show that is darkly humorous most of the time, silly at others, and painfully raw at its heart.

I'm all for thoughtful criticism! I love it! Where is it? (Aside from your journal, I mean.) There is such a petulant and snotty attitude everywhere I turn, I just...sigh. Why haven't they learned what purpose fanfic can serve?

I JUST wandered into Glee fandom in the past few days and have now retreated in pure terror - and I'm from Supernatural fandom okay? It didn't prepare me for the entitlement factor at ALL. Or the rage. Or the confusion over "what a show does and why" and "what I want now" and how they don't necessarily connect.

ANYWOO - interesting episode (I concur with your entire review), good acting and a good old-fashioned cliff hanger. Now if I can just avoid Tumblr forever...

OH MY GOD. It's scary. There are places to go, though, and I will help you find them. :D

TUMBLR IS WHERE THE EVIL HAPPENS. Unfortunately, because I love Tumblr. *cries* Honestly, I think my goal with this carpet bomb of my anger (sorry?) is to weed out other reasonable fans so we can build a playhouse and have cookies and write fic.

My goodness! Let me start by saying that I wanted Kurt and Karofsky to become an item after The Kiss (possibly the most unpopular opinion evah), so needless to say I haven't touched the Glee fandom with a ten foot pole. Although I love Kurt and Blaine now that they're together, so it's all happy endings there.

I had my remote in hand, ready to turn off the TV and never watch Glee again if Dave had actually killed himself. I couldn't even watch that part, I had to fast forward...so I was more emotionally invested in the episode than was perhaps good for me. I can see why people might be taken aback that a show that started out fun has turned out the way it has (ie: half ridiculous and half dead serious), but like you I can't fathom why they stick around if that's the case. If they don't like it, it seems like a rather crappy way to spend their time, plaintively wishing for what might have been. They should just watch the Glee songs on YouTube and call it a day - I've approached that level myself a few times, but it keeps sucking me in, dammit.

Hard to believe that most people just watch TV and then go to bed and never think about it again, huh? :0D

HAHAHAHA!! I know you did, my sweet sweet Poshy! (And you wrote that very hot ficlet, that I need the link to again - is it in your memories?) The Kurtofsky faction is like the Harry/Hermione, Snapes/Astral Wives groups. You're a king without a sword!

I love love LOVE how Max plays Kurtofsky. Love. (I don't really hate anyone on the show. Not even Will.) I was going to be devastated if he'd died, too.

I don't watch Glee. But this post! Damn, you go shout it from the rooftops! (This is a problem for pretty much every show and every fandom - and it's one of the reasons I tend to stay in my own little LJ corner, because I just don't care about the hate and the negativity.)

Also this:

My son's best friend took his boyfriend to Homecoming this year, and why? Because he thought it would be okay because Kurt and Blaine did. (Excuse me while I cry.) Choked me up. I am so happy that there's a show like Glee out there. TV is such an important part of our culture now, and it's wonderful when it does something right. ♥

When I started watching Glee, it was purely for Lea Michele (I am a huge Spring Awakening fan) and the singing. I figured it was going to be ridiculous and silly and it was going to be my crack show.

It still is, but it has BLOWN me away with how they're handling issues and presenting kids with problems that kids today face. I love the acceptance and love that the show tries to reach with, while also showing the pain and heartache that teens face with pregnancy, homosexuality and being shunned in general.

This has just given me more reason to love this series and hope it can reach kids who otherwise feel there isn't hope for them.

It was fandom entitlement that drove me away from Glee (well, that and the serious case of sophomore slump that the second season suffered from, but that's a different matter entirely and far too long to get into here).

In particular, it was a couple of girls who were (and from as far as I can tell, still are) INSAAAAANE over Mark Salling. As such, anything that wasn't Puck-centric or suits their shipping desires was decried as TEH WORST THING EVAR. One in particular was so far down the rabbit hole that she was purposefully styling her hair like Rachel's and was even doing scriptfic where she rewrote episodes to her liking on her LJ. Poor girl was (and likely still is) MESSED UP.

Anyway, they would keep ranting and ranting in the Glee thread at the forum at which I hang out. No one could ever try to reason with them or present an alternate view - to them, their opinions were the first and last word on an episode. It was annoying as hell, and eventually it got to the point where watching the show wasn't fun anymore, because you couldn't speak your mind about it with others without getting run over by the crazy shippers, and when combined with last season's troubles, it was too much for me, and it became a lot easier to skip episodes, to the point where I stopped watching altogether.

So yeah...I'm with you on how crazy and entitled Glee fandom has become. I wish more of them would remember the MST3K Mantra: "Just repeat to yourself 'it's just a show, I should really just relax.'"

Aww, I love Season 2. But I get why some people didn't, for sure. Honestly, I've watched the show since the pilot first aired, but didn't want to participate in fandom AT ALL. Last summer I read a fic by flaming_muse and got sucked in. But I def. hang out at one end of the pool as there is a lot of shenanigans/horseplay that I don't cotton to going on.

Oh....dear, that is quite the investment into a character! o_0 Uh... No thanks. (Wow.) Just know that the point of HDJM and the Gleecaps are because I love the show, I lovingly tease it for its flaws, but it's meant as a place for sane fans to talk. :)

I have such a love-hate relationship with this show. There's a lot about it that bothers me (and that's not counting the music which is even more love-hate for me since I mostly loathe musical theater). However, if my interest were to lean more to the hate end of the spectrum, I'd just stop watching. I don't get being negative all the time. I think it's totally valid to call out problems, but when your problem is that your favorite character didn't get enough screen time? Get over yourself (everybody, not you you). It's ridiculous. And it's why I avoid a lot of fandom stuff for ALL fandoms.

I haven't watched this episode yet. I'm actually glad to be spoiled for it though, because it's a touchy issue for me. I read a blog post this morning about the issue of there being no warning card at the beginning (as there was for the sex episode). I can't imagine why they wouldn't include something about disturbing content. Good grief.

I was suprised to hear that too. Normally any of the major networks want to cover their asses in any way possible, lest people start complaining to the FCC. I'll bet one will get added once it starts getting rerun.

Interesting post. :D Actually, it says a lot about how I feel about the general online Glee fandom, only I'd be a lot more British and bashful about expressing it!

I had a tumblr account for about 6 weeks and then left because of the cyber-bullying I saw there, and the batsh*t craziness of it all. Which is a shame, because I love the gorgeous gif-iness of tumblr. But a lot of people there just felt everything soooo much, and they seemed to have no ability to rationalise or modify their behaviour or their reactions to things. (I'm sounding quite stuffy and British there again, aren't I - be rational, suppress your emotions, tally ho, pip pip!) I guess what I mean is that when the reactions are so extreme and so negative, it's hard to understand why they bother watching the programme at all or what enjoyment they can possibly get out of it. It was actually having a pretty adverse effect on me just reading about their misery! So I made myself a cup of tea and got the hell out of Dodge.

I suppose it's all about passion and feeling empathy for the characters. I think the poo-pooers do genuinely feel that passion and empathy, and when you feel very strongly about a show and it doesn't deliver what you want, it's easy to get upset and frustrated. But that's when you grow up, get over it and move on. Which is where a lot of people apparently get stuck!

Me, I watch because Blaine's bloody gorgeous, I love the Klaine romance and I like the music. At the end of the day, it's a tv show. It's not compulsory and it's not interactive. If they start putting a paper bag over Blaine's face and stop the singing, I'll have to re-think my choices. It absolutely won't be the end of the world. Not even a tiny little bit.

Fandom, eh? Don't you just want to give it a quick clip round the earhole and tell it to pull itself together?! But then, maybe I'm being too harsh. It takes all sorts, after all.

I started watching glee because of the NPH episode. And 'cause I knew it had a storyline, I started 2 or 3 episodes before that. I was all WTF at first, loved the NPH episode (of course) and then I fell in love with Glee. Love it.

Unfortunately, I'm a few episodes behind, because I watch on Hulu and those bastards (MPAA or some other combination of letters) won't let me see it for over a week after it airs. Bah.

But I just bought season 2 (YAY!) and I'm thinking of having my own little season 1 / season 2 Glee marathon. And then I'll be mad 'cause I can't buy season 3 yet.

I feel like there are two fandoms for Glee: people who love to hate it, and me and about four other people. Whatever, they're quality folks, and smaller parties are more fun to me, anyway.

As far as I know: you, flamingmuse, and my RL lesbian couple are the entirety of glee fandom. I loved everything about last night. And everything you have said. I know with everythibg there's going to be whiplash... But I had no idea it was this ... Scary.

<3

And, just to be clear, I was an initial HATER. These kids won me over. There are certain shows where, if you (general audience you) aren't in love with the characters... Then maybe you should just walk away.

You made me cry. I must complain about that! Not really - but thank you for standing up for something so positive. Now I have to go WIPE MY EYES at work. Darn you Laura! And I am not even caught up on this season!Just remember that idjits are idjits. That's why we call them idjits! I follow Naomi Wolf on facebook and today people were complaining that her posts were too long. Posts that naturally BEHIND A CUT (because of facebook). Jaysus wept! I guess pushing the page down button is REALLY REALLY hard for some people to do. Just like changing the channel is with some Glee fans. Idjits.

Are You Actually

Reading this? I'm just curious. Because that's really detail-oriented of you. Feel free to stop reading. But you can see that there's more here, so are you going to keep reading? Really? That's pretty dedicated. I'm impressed. No, really. I'm not being sarcastic, why do you get like that? See, this is the problem I have with your mother - yes. YES. I'm going there. It's time we put all of our cards on the table.

I love you, why are you doing this? After all we've been through? You don't have to be like this. You know, still reading. You could be baking a pie. And then sharing it with me.